Memory
by Ogino Chihiro
Summary: Sasuke recalls how he used to hate Naruto, and suddenly remembers special moments...SasuNaru[Oneshot]


**A/N: I'm making myself barf. Ok, I'm not a yaoi or Shounen-Ai fan in any way. In fact, I don't like it at all. But...it's late at night, I'm bored, and I have perv friends. . Ah whatever. I just need to try out some genres, and I'm sorry if this sucks. It's experimental. :p Anyways, just tell me what you think in a review. Yea. And for kicks? Dedicated to Tomoyo and Koneko for being shounen-ai fans. I doubt they'll read this though.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. At all. If I did, it'd be a heck of a lot more screwed up.**

He was stupid. He was unbelievably stupid. Nothing, literally, nothing could get through his dense skull. And I hated it.  
I hated the way he would stare at everyone with those clueless eyes, and greet us every morning with that dorky smile of his.  
I hated the times when he would grin and laugh at pointless things, and the things he laughed at. I hated it all. I hated him. But at some point...at some point, I don't know, that hate just fell away. When was it that I first looked into the eyes I loathed to see,  
and saw blue hope and happiness, shining out? When was it that the annoying screechy laughter became music to my ears? When was it that I began to feel the empty hollow shell of my body just wasn't enough?I refused to believe it at first. I completely denied it, shut the thought out of my mind and sealed it away. There was no possibility of me ever acknowledging that brat, ever. Uchiha Sasuke never acknowleged anyone lower than he was.

* * *

"Sasuke?" Uzumaki Naruto looked up from the ground, uncomfortable.

"Hrn?" The Uchiha was staring dully off into nowhere, as usual. His jet black eyes, however far away, still pierced the young shinobi, and he shivered.

"Uh...can you help me with something? Kakashi-sensei wants me to finish today and I kinda can't..." He mumbled the rest inaudibly.  
Naruto wasn't accustomed to asking anyone for help, especially his rival. He had a right to be asking this time. Naruto had been on one of his pranking streaks again, and it seems Kakashi had been in a foul mood-he was to rake the entire surroundings of the Ninja Academy without use of any jutsu. It was originally going to be the entire team's job, but now that Naruto had done something wrong, he had to suffer. He sighed heavily, almost regretting his actions.

Sasuke looked up at the blonde, almost amused at the sight of the resentful expression on his face. "Dobe. Are you finally admitting defeat"  
Naruto's face crinkled in anger. "OF COURSE NOT, TEME!" He shouted furiously at Sasuke, pouncing at him. He pointed a challenging finger at him. "Tell you what, let's make this a contest! Whoever rakes the leaves on his side fastest wins!"

Sasuke was smirking widely now.

"Deal."

* * *

The calm autumn winds blew over the grass, tinged yellow at the tips. Brown and yellow leaves drifted down from the near barren branches, gliding along with the breeze. It was all so quiet, so serene, and peaceful.

Then all hell broke loose.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" A loud cry erupted from one side as Naruto came racing across the grass, flattening it as his feet pounded rapidly on the ground. He held his rake in front of him, tearing up leaves and grass and sent some flying either way. On the other side, Sasuke silently ran as well, but his face was one of concentration, and he shot glares at Naruto when he had the chance. Naruto gladly glared back. They dashed side by side, along the borders of their "regions", raking like mad and sending clippings and foliage underfoot and in the air with a sickening crunch.

"I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN, YOU BASTARD!"

Naruto and Sasuke both had one patch of leaves left. One could practically feel the battle aura around them as they sprinted towards their separate patches of leaves. With a tremendous leap, both of the shinobi landed at their piles, and raked it up in one swift motion.

"I WIN!" Naruto yelled gleefully, and danced around, rake in hand.

"No, I won!" Sasuke declared angrily. "I got here first!"

Naruto stopped, hands on his hips. "I won!"

Sasuke shot him a death glare. "I did."

Naruto folded his arms. "I did."

"No, I did."

"No, I won."

"No, I won."

"NO...I WON."

"NO...I WON!"

"I WON!"

"I WON!"

"I WON!"

Their voices escalated until they were so loud, their echoes could be heard for miles around. Finally, they collapsed in a heap, panting from arguing and the competition. Naruto was the first to recover. Sitting up, he looked around and laughed. "We tore this place up"  
Sasuke, who sat up, was grinning. "Yeah, we really did." They both laughed together for a while, their laughter ringing in the empty silence.

Naruto wiped his eyes, still chuckling. "Sasuke, I didn't know you actually had a personality."

Sasuke looked offended and annoyed. "What do you mean?"

Naruto shook his head. "You never show any emotion, and your face is always as blank as a sheet of paper. I always thought nobody could understand you. It'd be a wonder if someone did."

The raven haired boy looked at the ground, then turned away. "I think...someone does..."

Naruto looked at him, wide eyed in amazement. "Who?"

Sasuke stared at him. "...you." He blushed and looked away again.

Naruto sat there, tilting his head to one side. Finally, he grinned widely. "That makes us friends, doesn't it?"

He eagerly picked up the other shinobi's hand, and held it, not noticing the red creeping up Sasuke's face.

"That means we're best friends and rivals! Not bad...though it's still fun to kick your ass..."

Sasuke laughed and smiled at him.

"Best friends. I like it."

* * *

The time I spent with Uzumaki Naruto was...unlike any other time in my life. I never understood what was it that had my heart beating so loudly when he came around, what had me dizzy and red in the face whenever I stared into his eyes. Eventually, I figured it out, but I didn't want to accept it. I didn't want to accept the fact that I loved him. I don't blame myself for it. The entire thing, it was so shocking, I didn't know how to deal with it. "It's like taking a pleasant rowing trip out on a boat, and then the next thing you know, you're on the wrong course, the boat's capsized, and you're drowning in lukewarm water and struggling for your life"  
Sakura told me that once, a long time ago. That was how she described falling in love. She was right. I had never felt the way I did,  
and I was completely unprepared. I had no sense of what to do. And then...there was that day.

* * *

Spring had come already, the sakura blossoms were drifting as the maple leaves once had from the skies. He walked alone, out of habit.  
It was just what he did. Sasuke took his regular place under a tree, and stared up at the blue sky. The river was clear and flowing, the warm breeze comfortable on his pale cheeks. Springtime was beautiful, even HE couldn't miss that.

He listened to the lulling sounds of nature, and found himself dozing off. No matter. There wasn't anything to do today anyways.

Soft music, and laughing...the sounds of children, a flash of blue and yellow...when had he begun to miss that?

Orange. That was the first and last thing he saw when he awoke. Naruto was standing over him, nose to nose, with his curious look on his foxy face. Sasuke blushed and sputtered. "N-Naruto! What are you doing?"

Naruto leaned back and put his arms behind his head, grinnning. "Just seeing if the almighty Sasuke was done with his nap."

Sasuke glowered at him, still pink. "Dobe."

Ignoring him, Naruto plopped down beside him and crossed his legs. "So whatcha up to?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Nothing, I guess..."

The wind ruffled their hair, and several sakura floated down from the trees, spinning around the two. Clouds drifted slowly by as Sasuke turned to face him. "Naruto..."

He looked over at his teammate. "Yeah?" he asked quietly.

Slowly, Sasuke inched forward, and pressed his lips softly on the blonde's. Naruto's eyes were open wide, but Sasuke's were closed, enjoying the moment. They broke apart, with Naruto blushing and Sasuke smirking. He stared for a second longer, then entwined his hand in Sasuke's. Together, they looked out at the silver river, watching the flowers fly around them.

"Sasuke...I..."

He pressed a finger to his mouth in a shushing gesture.

"...I know."

* * *

So now I go on, unafraid of the future. We may not be so content, we may have fights, and things like that. But life continues like everyday, we're all the same people, in the same group, with the same friendship. Now that we're together, it doesn't make a difference to the others. But it does to me. Wherever he goes, I will go. Our rivers will change courses like one river, side by side, always.  
And we'll be hand in hand, every step of the way.

**A/N: Yeah. Guess that's it. Review time then. Please.**


End file.
